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Sunday, November 25, 2012

See this Washington Post article from Tim Craig on the new DDOT residential parking program, that reserves on-street parking spaces for residents on weekdays. Note that the unit block and 100 block of R Street NW will be participating in this new DDOT program. And note that the ANC's have no vote on the matter AND note that the residents of the surrounding blocks likewise have no input.Concern has been raised by residents of Randolph Place NW that the new parking program that restricts one-half of the onstreet parking on the unit and 100 blocks of R Street NW will shove the displaced visitor parking on their blocks. Will that turn out to be a valid concern? Guess that we will find out.LeDroit Park next door in Ward 1 is now a participant. I don't know of any other Ward 5 neighborhoods that are participating.

District
officials are reserving thousands of on-street parking spaces for residents on
weekdays in the city`s most crowded neighborhoods, part of an aggressive effort
to limit spots for visitors.

The
restrictions are a slice of a city strategy to promote bicycling and mass
transit while increasing the odds that residents can find parking. The changes,
which could affect as many as 10,000 spaces, come as the city eliminates some
on-street parking to make room for bicycle lanes and prepares to set aside hundreds
of meters for the disabled.

``That
is the sign of the future, that discourages car ownership,`` said D.C. Council
member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1).

The
most immediate changes are occurring in Graham`s congested ward, where the D.C.
Department of Transportation is essentially eliminating half of the visitor
parking spaces on weekdays in neighborhoods such as Columbia Heights and Adams
Morgan and parts of the U Street corridor.

Under
the regulations being implemented over the next month, one side of the street
in 550 blocks of Ward 1 will be reserved for Ward 1 residents with valid
parking permits from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Nonresidents
will have to park on the non-reserved side of each block, where two-hour time
limits will be enforced. And in some Ward 1 neighborhoods, DDOT is considering
community requests to extend the restrictions through the weekend.

Graham
said the restrictions, authorized by the council two years ago but just now
being implemented, are designed to make sure there is sufficient on-street
parking for residents in a rapidly developing part of the city.

``People
are not able to park in Ward 1 now, so what we are doing is striking a balance
in favor of those who are residents with stickers who paid for them,`` said Graham,
noting that similar restrictions are in effect in parts of Capitol Hill.

Although
finding on-street parking in the District has challenged drivers for decades,
the changes in Ward 1 underscore efforts by Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) and D.C.
Council members to manage parking.

In
the 15 months after the 2010 Census was completed, the District gained an
estimated 15,000 residents. Although planners say many new residents are
choosing to live car-free, new development has put a strain on the supply of parking
spaces.

``There
are only so many parking spaces on streets, and eventually there is going to be
a time when the numbers don`t add up anymore or demand way overexceeds supply
and we have a problem,`` said Angelo Rao, manager of the District`s parking and
streetlight program.

Rao
said the new revisions, which will affect as many as 20 parking spaces per city
block, are driven both by residents` concerns about a lack of on-street parking
and a broader city policy to encourage less vehicle traffic. Some of the
changes are starting to cut into the stock of 18,000 metered parking spaces.

Last
month, DDOT completed the L Street bicycle lane, reserving a dedicated
eastbound lane for bicyclists between New Hampshire Avenue and 12th Street.

The
new bike lane resulted in a loss of about 120 metered parking spaces downtown,
though DDOT officials say they lessened the impact by adding about 70 meters in
other downtown areas.

Before
summer, DDOT hopes to have completed a similar westbound bicycle lane on M
Street NW, which could further constrict available parking in the central
business district.

Leona
Agouridis, executive director of the Golden Triangle Business Improvement
District, said city officials are working closely with downtown merchants to
manage the impact of the changes.

``The
city is trying to accommodate a changing transportation environment, and they
have a strategic plan for how we are going to accommodate a lot of new
realities,`` said Agouridis, who noted that there are 25,000 garage spaces in
the central business district.

But
council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) said he is concerned that the bike lanes
are taking too many on-street parking spots, which remain more economical than
garage spaces that can exceed $20 per day.

``We
need bike lanes, but we also need parking,`` Barry said. ``These parking lots
are killing us for $30 a day.``

Gray,
however, set a goal this year of having 75 percent of all trips in the city
take place on foot, bicycle or public transportation by 2032. The mayor also has pushed to make the
District a nationwide model in reserving city parking meters for disabled
motorists.

The
council is considering setting aside about 11 percent of meters with red tops
for motorists with handicap permits. Some opponents fear the change will make
it more difficult for non-disabled drivers to find on-street parking.

``It`s
just not about creating as much parking as possible,`` Pedro Ribeiro, Gray`s
communications director, said of the mayor`s overall strategy. ``The city is
growing, and if every single one of these new residents had a car, there wouldn`t
be enough parking for everyone, so the idea is to build neighborhoods where you
don`t need a car.``

But
the new regulations could add more confusion to the array of parking restrictions
that at times baffle even DDOT officials.

Last
week, the city posted parking signs in the 1100 block of 15th Street NW, next
to the 15th Street bicycle lane, that said, ``Zone 2 residential parking permit
only.``

Neither
Rao nor other DDOT officials could explain what the signs mean or say whether
non-Ward 2 residents can park at the meters that line that street.

``I
am trying to figure out what the rationale is,`` Rao said. ``Was it
appropriate? . . . Was it a mistake?``

In
Columbia Heights, Anita Taliferro Swanson and her husband, Gregory Swanson,
park in a garage and say neighborhood parking problems have worsened over the
years. The Swansons, who have lived in the 1100 block of Columbia Road for 20
years, are skeptical that the new rules in Ward 1 will make much difference.

``We
remember when everyone promised the construction of Metro would cause parking
to get better,`` Anita Swanson said, referring to the 1999 completion of the
Green Line station in Columbia Heights.

``But
how are you going to tell people in America to give up their car?``

DDOT
is hosting a ``parking summit`` Dec. 4 at Judiciary Square to solicit residents`
suggestions for managing parking. The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m.